Southwest Washington Medical Center's $146 million expansion information

Is the proposed project at our Daybreak property in the public interest? You decide.

• All water rights will be donated to the state in trust for in-stream flow enhancement (an estimated total of 5% of the groundwater rights in the EFLR basin).

Call 397-2232 and let the commissioners know that
solid science and not politics must guide their decision regarding the project.

Rodeo Week upon us, mayor proclaims


Vancouver’s Jessica Crouch is Queen
of the Vancouver Rodeo, July 1-4 at
the Clark County Saddle Club. She is
a sophomore at  West Texas A & M.
University. 

In preparation for the Vancouver Rodeo, Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4, Mayor Royce Pollard has proclaimed this week Rodeo Week.

The rodeo, in the Clark County Saddle Club, 10505 NE 117th Avenue, opens at 7 p.m. Friday with a bull bash. Rodeo events continue Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. and Monday at 1 p.m.

Tickets range from $6 to $25 and may be bought at the gate. For further information, call 896-6654.

Hilton Vancouver Washington
grand opening to benefit SWIFT

A “gala,” black-tie grand opening of the Hilton Vancouver Washington and the Vancouver Convention Center, Saturday, Sept. 17, will benefit Southwest Washington Forward Thrust, according to grand opening sponsors.

Proceeds from the affair will also be used to underwrite a day-long party the next day in Esther Short Park.

The gala evening, which includes dinner and dancing, begins about 6:30 p.m. in the park, from where revelers will parade to the hotel.

For additional information on sponsoring tables or gala tickets, call April Stevenson, (503) 504-9898.

County growth continues

Clark Public Utilities added 423 new residential customers during May, utility finance director Rick Dyer reported to utility commissioners Tuesday. Through the end of the first five months of the year, the utility signed up 1,582 new residential customers, representing an annual rate of growth of 2.41 percent.

In comparison, the utility’s residential customer base grew by 1,236 customers during the first five months of 2004.

Firstenburg Community Center
pavers still available

One-foot-by-two-foot paving stones being placed on the outdoor terrace of the community room in the Firstenburg Community Center are still available to the public for $100 each. The pavers will be inscribed at the donor’s request. Proceeds from the sale of pavers will benefit community parks and recreation programs.

The Firstenburg Center, to open later this summer, is the first full-service center built by the City of Vancouver since the Marshall Center was built in the 1960s.

The 80,000-square-foot structure, serving east Vancouver at 700 NE 136th Avenue, cost over $21 million, $3 million of which was a donation from Ed and Mary Firstenburg, owners of First Independent Bank.

There will be no fees associated with the use of the senior lounge, teen lounge or game room. Memberships and drop-in fees apply to the use of the multi-purpose fitness facilities, however.

For further information on the Firstenburg Community Center, go to www.vanclarkparks-rec.org. For information on buying a paver or joining the fitness center, call project manager Vicki Vanneman, 619-1113.

Urologist George Dechet and medical
center doing prostate repairs with laser

A new laser system under trial at Southwest Washington Medical Center is providing quick relief for those suffering from an enlarged prostate, according to medical center spokesperson Ken Cole.

George Dechet, a urologist at the Urology Clinic of Southwest Washington, is using a new photoselective vaporization system to vaporize and precisely remove enlarged prostate tissue, rather than use invasive surgery.

Patients experience symptom relief immediately or in a short time and very little inconvenience or down time, according to Dechet.

While surgery is effective, in most cases it requires a hospital stay and up to six weeks of recuperation, according to Dechet. Patients undergoing the laser process are discharged from the hospital the same day.

Calendar

The organizational meeting of the Clark County Wetlands Work Group is at 4 p.m. today in the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street. n Clark County Commissioners meet in an informal session at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in the Public Service Center.

 Headlines at home and from around the world:
(Click on the headlines below for the rest of the story)

State population rises to 6.3 million--Seattle Times, AP

Ridgefield number one in growth--Columbian, Jeffrey Mize

Newcomers swell small town--Oregonian, Foster Church

Tim Eyman's initiative to require performance audits of state and local government programs gets on the ballot--Seattle P-I-AP, David Ammons

Commissioners' won't hurry growth management plan changes--Columbian, Erin Middlewood

Ridgefield and La Center vie over proposed casino land--Columbian, Margaret Ellis

Gus Norwood's ninth book, an autobiography, will be on sale at the Clark County Historical Museum--Columbian, Dean Baker

Oregonian transplants need to know the rules--Columbian, Tom Koenninger

Canada makes move to control internet pharmacies and ban most exports--KATU

Design for Freedom Tower at World Trade Center site calls for 82-story building on 200-foot pedestal--New York Times, David W. Dunlap and Glenn Collins

Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam [updates every five minutes]--USDA Forest Service, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
 

The Daily Insider is published by Tony Bacon P.O. Box 2597, Vancouver, WA 98668. (360) 696-1077. Fax 694-9886.
E-Mail tony@dailyinsider.info. Annual subscription, $315.00. Free to all retired persons.